LOS ANGELES -- The Lakers got to see snow in just their second road game of the season while in Denver last week.

They'll dabble in some chilly air again in their first extended trip of the season. It starts with a flight Monday to go play Milwaukee on Tuesday, Detroit on Wednesday and Minnesota on Friday. It doesn't appear to be that imposing of a trip as far as the opponents go, but Phil Jackson said it's harder to play these games now than it would be later in the season when more hope is lost for the league's lesser teams.

"Everybody in the NBA is going to be potent on their home court at this time of year," Jackson said.

The Lakers so far have won at Phoenix and lost at Denver away from Staples Center.

I just finished a guest segment on KSPN/710's weekly "Lakers Zone" radio show. We talked a lot of Lakers stuff, and I tried not to complain too much about the travel from the Lakers' just-completed trip. I am well aware that the job is viewed as a great gig nonetheless, no matter how unglamorous the travel side of it is.

We've certainly come a long way since the days when beachcombers wrote a message on a piece of paper, placed it in a bottled, sealed it tight, threw it in the ocean and hoped some day, somewhere it would be read.

Nowadays, a minute elapsed between individuals sending instant messages back and forth can seem like an eon.

The latest craze to hit the NBA is players placing messages on Twitter. It would seem like a harmless pasttime, because after all a growing number of players - including the Lakers' Luke Walton - have personal blogs. But posting while in uniform? Many NBA coaches have rules about cell phones being on while in the locker room.

But Milwaukee Bucks forward Charlie Villanueva crossed a line March 15, when he posted a message on Twitter during halftime of a game against the Boston Celtics. In his message, Villanueva stated that he needed to step up his play in the second half.

Bucks first-year coach Scott Skiles later learned about Villanueva's missive and declined to fine the forward, perhaps only because the Bucks subsequently defeated the Celtics.

The pursuit of that NBA dream has just grown larger with the announcement that a NBA Developmental League team will begin play in Portland, MA next season.

The addition of the Portland franchise increases the number of D-League teams to 17. Jon Jennings, a former assistant coach with the Boston Celtics, will be the Portland team's president and general manager.

Two NBA teams will be affiliated with Portland, giving those NBA teams the right to assign their first and second-year players to that D-League teamfor more seasoning. Those two teams will be announced at a later date.

Among the best known NBA players that had stints in the D-League are the Lakers' Jordan Farmar, newly-signed Celtics center Mikki Moore, Orlando guard Rafer Alston, Milwaukee guard RamonSessions, the Phoenix Suns' Matt Barnes, Brandon Bass of Dallas, Devin Brown of New Orleans and Miami's Daequan Cook, who won the 3-point shooting contest at this year's All-Star Weekend in Phoenix.

With his playing career now in its twilight, veteran NBA guard Sam Cassell could wind up ending with the Denver Nuggets, who are in the market for a seasoned guard to aid them in the playoffs.

The 39-year old Cassell recently was traded by the Boston Celtics, to the Sacramento Kings, for a second-round draft pick. The floundering Kings had no plans for Cassell and it was their intention, when the trade was made, to waive him immediately.

Last season in training camp, when Cassell was sitting and talking with me about the upcoming year, he stated emphatically that the 2008-2009 season - his 16th - not only would be his last one but that he would use it as a prelude to his next career station - NBA coach.

It was Cassell's belief that he probably would end up playing with the Nuggets, under Coach GeorgeKarl, who was the Milwaukee Bucks' coach from 1998-2003. Cassell was the Bucks' starting point guard from 1999-2003 and was one of the Eastern Conference's top three point guards during that period.

With All-Star guard Jameer Nelson having undergone season-ending shoulder surgery Thursday and wary that journeyman guard Anthony Johnson and former Laker Tyronn Lue would bear too much of a burden to get the Magic where it desires to be - the NBA Finals, the Magic helped initiate a three-team trade for enigamatic Houston Rockets guard Rafer Alston.

In the deal, the Rockets get point guard Kyle Lowry from the Memphis Grizzlies, who until recently, had a glut at that position with Lowry, former Laker Javaris Crittenton, second-year guard MikeConley and rookie O.J. Mayo, who has been playing at shooting guard but has expressed the desire to play the point.

But over the past few weeks, the Grizzlies have thinned out the ranks by first trading Crittenton to the Washington Wizards and now by shipping out Lowry.

Houston also will get former Laker forward Brian Cook, whom the Lakers traded 15 months ago to the Orlando Magic in exchange for forward Trevor Ariza.

Orlando Magic general manager Otis Smith was able to quickly fill a void the team had when All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson was lost Monday with a possible season-ending shoulder injury.

According to the team's website, the Magic on Thursday acquired former Lakers guard Tyronn Lue from the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for swingman Keith Bogans and cash considerations.

Lue will pair up with journeyman point guard Anthony Johnson in an attempt to keep the Southeast Division-leading Magic on course to be a factor in the Eastern Conference playoffs in the event that Nelson is unable to return from a torn labrum suffered three nights ago in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

In his first game as Nelson's replacement, Johnson scored 25 points and sank six 3-pointers in a victory over the Clippers.

Lue averaged 4.7 points and 1.5 assists in 30 games with the Bucks this season. Believing several weeks ago that he was on the trading block, and with the Lakers' Jordan Farmar out with a knee injury, Lue mused about a possible return to the Lakers, when the Bucks were in town to play the Clippers.

Although an official announcement has yet to be made, Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Lionel Hollins will be named the new head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies.

Hollins is scheduled to be in Memphis before the end of the weekend to work details of his contract out with Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace. Hollins flew to Atlanta on Friday with the Bucks but left the team immediately afterward.

Hollins replaces Marc Iavaroni, who was fired Thursday night after 1 1/2 seasons at the helm.

Assistant coach Johnny Davis is serving as interim coach tonight in New York and will coach the team Saturday at home, when the Grizzlies face the New Jersey Nets.

Hollins and his new staff are scheduled to be in place before the weekend is over to prepare for Tuesday's game against the Denver Nuggets. Hollins reportedly has hired as two of his assistants former Philadelphia 76ers coach Maurice Cheeks and former Clippers director of player personnel Barry Hecker. Davis will be retained by Hollins as an assistant coach.